Trying something different..

Most everyone knows that Frank Sinatra sang the song, “I did it my way”. I won’t get into the details of what I really think of that song. I could say that I did what Sinatra was talking about in relation to ministry placement. I did what I knew and I found out after eight months, that it is getting me nowhere.

So, I decided to do something different based on a conversation that I had with my dad. We were talking recently and he was asking me how things were going with finding a ministry opportunity. I shared with him that I was discouraged and that there was not a whole lot of opportunities available. If I was trained musically or had experience working with youth, I would probably be employed in either of those areas and would have probably had a plethora of choices in either area. My dad shared with me how years ago, he got two jobs based solely on the verbal/written recommendation of people that he knew (friends & colleagues) and how that when he was in a position of great influence, he was also able to return the favor by helping others in the same manner that he was helped.

So, today with much trepidation, I composed an email and sent it to 30 people whom I consider to be close friends and associates to enlist their help in this endeavor. I am interested to see what kind of response I receive (while I was composing this, I received two encouraging emails from two men, thanks to them!)

I have looked at every ministry placement website known to man and I remembered that some of the best opportunities are not necessarily listed. When the pastorate of the church I attend become vacant in 2007, they did not list the opportunity on any websites, but rather took suggestions from the church members.

So, I am not necessarily stopping my search, but just trying something different in hopes that it may lead to better potential opportunities for full-time service in the Lord’s work!